Japan, an island nation in East Asia, is often considered a great place to visit or live.
It attracts many foreigners, including U.S. citizens and those from various Western cultures.
They appreciate its blend of traditional values and modernity.
For young people, Japan offers a unique experience, whether it’s for education or work.
The Japanese education system is renowned for its high quality.
This includes public schools and international schools.
The daily life in big cities like Tokyo, Japan’s largest city, is vibrant and efficient.
Public transportation connects major cities and their city centres.
The train lines, especially, are among the world’s best.
Commuting is a breeze.
Even with small spaces typical in Japanese cities, public spaces are well-maintained.
They offer a good place for family members and friends to gather.
So, are you asking yourself if you should move to Japan?
Well, let’s get started on what might be your new home.
Why I am Qualified to Advise You
I have lived here for over half my adult life and have permanent residency.
This has meant I have a lot of experience with Japanese society.
I live in Nagoya, one of several really large cities and the capital city of Aichi prefecture.
It was not my first time living abroad, but I stayed.
So, let’s start,
13 Reasons Not To Move to Japan
Japanese culture is very different to that of your home country.
But if you have your work visa and are moving here long term, there are some things you’ll need to know.
The media will make you think Japan is a great country.
And it is.
But here are some reasons why not to move to Japan.
The Apartments
Do you like watching movies without headphones in the evening or having a place to cook in your kitchen?
You might like sitting in your chair without hearing your neighbour fart.
When you arrive, you’ll likely live in an apartment.
I did for the first 7 years of being here.
Compared to what you are used to, it’ll be fairly cramped.
Now, it can be kind of fun to live in a small space.
It makes you think like a minimalist or forces you to be careful about what you buy.
And I chose to fill my apartment with cheap stuff from the 100-yen store.
And it probably won’t be a big deal when you’re in your twenties or thirties.
However, the lack of privacy can be a problem.
The worst case was when I used to hear my neighbour wretch daily as he brushed his teeth.
This leads me to another headache you’ll face.
Finding Somewhere to Live
I haven’t met a foreigner who has looked me straight in the eye and said, “Yeah, I love looking for apartments in Japan.”
It’s boring and stressful.
And finding a real estate agent that is foreigner-friendly can be tricky.
One simple reason is that if you are a foreigner living in Japan, many apartments won’t let you live there and rent it out.
I should preface this by saying that if you come here with a job, your company will often find you an apartment.
However, not everyone is so lucky.
What’s more, it’s not a nice feeling to be discriminated against just because you’re not Japanese.
To many locals, foreign residents are viewed as a flight risk.
They would skip the country on their last month and not pay the rent.
Sadly, it does happen, causing a lot of stress and problems for the landlord.
Not only that, but the odds of having a foreign resident are very low in your apartment because 98% of Japan’s population is ethnically Japanese.
Whatever you look at it, it doesn’t stop the whole process from being unpleasant.
However, the cost of living is cheaper than in Europe
Next, we will look at work.
Japanese Companies
In Japan, everything is formidably punctual, everything is on time, and everything always runs and works like clockwork.
There’s a reason everything works so well in Japan, and it comes at human costs.
It’s built on the backs of a workforce that sacrificed so much for the greater good of society.
Working for a Japanese company can be brutal, particularly in a medium- to large-sized organization.
Taking holiday leave for a Japanese worker is almost as difficult as getting an apartment as a foreign resident.
Studies have shown that only half of workers in Japan take their paid vacation.
They get about 20 days of annual leave, but they only take 10 of them, which seems unthinkable coming from the UK, where everyone is keen to go on holiday.
And the reason is that leaving your workplace and going on a holiday in Japan looks bad.
Your colleagues and superiors will ostracise you for it, maybe not to your face, but certainly behind closed doors.
I knew someone with their desk moved into the corner facing the wall like a naughty school kid.
And when I was dating my now wife, it was so hard for her to get 2 days off around the weekend to go to Okinawa.
You won’t be seen as a team player if you’re not in the office much.
You don’t have to be doing anything productive in Japan’s workplace.
However, you have to be present.
Being seen at work or present in the office is regarded more positively than being productive or doing anything truly beneficial.
Miserable At Work
Sadly, studies have shown that job satisfaction is far lower in Japan than in many other countries.
And while I have seen more foreign workers’ dreams of living and working in Japan crushed, perhaps more than any other on this list, this is a proper dream-crushing point.
The good news is that I know many foreigners who live and work in Japan in jobs they enjoy.
Typically, it is for smaller, more entrepreneurial, forward-thinking companies or foreign companies that have a base in Japan.
So there is still hope, but the country does have an overworked problem, and hopefully, at some point, they’ll realize that and start confronting it.
I’ve been working full-time from home for years, but that’s the exception, not the norm here.
Employment
What kind of job opportunities are there for foreigners in Japan?
And the answer is, honestly, that it depends on whether you are a skilled worker and how good your Japanese is.
The general rule in Japanese companies is to hire a native Japanese person.
Unless it’s a skill or a sector that needs some outside talent.
Most folks, though, do end up as English teachers.
This is because, while it’s technically not as skilled as being a native speaker of English, you’ve still got a major advantage over Japanese English teachers.
Like many, I worked at a few of these places.
It was fun, but the horror stories could make a new post one day.
It is more difficult outside those sectors or specialized skills because you won’t win against a native Japanese speaker with advanced knowledge of kanji, business etiquette, and how to do things.
So yes, the jobs are there, but you’ve got to be skilled in something or end up as an English teacher and gradually transition into another career.
Now, let’s leave employment and talk about something more important.
Paperwork
You cannot avoid this, but the paperwork and bureaucracy are insane.
It’s not an easy process, from setting up a Japanese bank account to getting a debit card.
Want to get your driver’s license set up?
Then, for us Brits, the process is easier than it is for Americans.
But you will need it translated by JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) and then go to the local driving centre and sit through lectures.
And, of course, pay for the pleasure of completing lots of paperwork.
Make sure you locate your local ward office.
You’ll need to go there for most of your official documents.
The immigration centre handles everything related to the visa process and your residence card.
So locate that, too.
It does not matter if you are on a working holiday visa, spouse visa or something else.
Losing Your Independence
One of the hardest things about moving here was losing my independence.
One might have a new car or phone contract and want to set up a bank account.
Or, maybe after a long day at work, you just want to use your TV.
Well, good luck with that, because when you first move here, you will need someone to do it all for you.
You’re going to need a lot of help.
Just using the air conditioner is impossible if you cannot read Kanji.
I could not use one for a while as I would get the heat and cold wrong and end up freezing in Winter.
If I had been able to read back then, I could have turned the air blast setting to warm instead of cold lol.
Even the toilets have control panels with options galore.
You might think, “Well, don’t move to Japan if you don’t know any Japanese.”
I get it.
You’re going to need some assistance at first though
There’s no doubt about that.
You are going to need to rely on other people a lot.
This brings us to the next point.
Making Friends
Making friends in Japan can be difficult.
Most friends you might make will be open-minded individuals who often oppose Japan’s typical way of thinking.
I realize I could have been good friends with some folk, but we never reached a certain point.
Much of that was due to the fact I could not be arsed.
Most of my foreign friends, honestly, stick to other foreigners.
They have a kind of foreign bubble network, and they never go beyond that.
You’ll find it harder to make friends in Japan than you would back home.
Okay, moving on.
Outdated Technology and a Love for Bureaucracy
The paperwork is endless and daunting.
You use outdated technology daily: fax machines and personal seals (stamps).
And, of course, you need advanced knowledge of Japanese kanji characters to complete all the paperwork.
Japan is not the tech marvel people think it is.
Being Stared At
People are watching your every move here.
98% of Japan’s population is ethnically Japanese, making it one of the most homogenous societies on earth.
And inevitably, you will stand out if you don’t look Japanese.
Now, you’ll notice people don’t sit next to you on the train or the bus, even if it’s crowded, which makes you feel like you’re standing out, like you’re different from everyone.
You’ll notice people at the supermarket staring at you.
In my first and second years here, I noticed that it got to me fairly.
It made me feel a tad uneasy.
Nothing bad ever happened.
However, if you have anxiety issues and end up in the Japanese countryside, I believe it could be an issue.
All I can say is that the best way to get around it is by rationalizing the situation and realizing that even you get surprised if you see someone who’s not Japanese out there.
Or do what I do and wink or blow a kiss.
That makes the staring old men look away immediately.
It’s a Bit Sexist
Remember the Tokyo Olympics?
The head of Japan’s 2022 Tokyo Olympic Committee, Yoshiro Mori, was forced to resign after making bold remarks.
He was responding to the idea that more women should be featured in board meetings.
He said that if we increase the number of female board members, we must ensure their speaking time is restricted as women have difficulty finishing.
And the backlash was swift:
- Yuriko Koike, Tokyo’s first female mayor, refused to go to meetings with him in protest
- 150,000 signatures asking for his removal, and the world’s media rounding on him before he bowed out
And everyone lived happily until a month later when it happened again.
This time, Hiroshi Sasaki, the creative director of the Tokyo Olympic opening ceremony, had jokingly suggested that one of Japan’s top comedians, Naomi Watanabe, should be dressed up as a pig in the opening ceremony.
Unfortunately, these types of stories are common in the media; Japan is currently ranked 116th globally regarding gender equality.
And if you look at photos of Japanese politicians, CEOs, or leaders, it’s almost like a who is who of decrepit old men.
Oh, and as a woman, you’re much more likely to get paid less.
You’re going to be looked over for promotions and kind of feel a bit like a subordinate.
All that said, change is in the air.
But if you come to Japan as a woman, it could be a bit more difficult, and it will certainly throw up a few more obstacles along the way than it would back home.
Dating & Friendship
Living overseas can be a lonely experience at times.
First, the language barrier means it can be hard at first to make friends.
But you live here, so learning the language is the easiest way to improve life.
When it comes to dating, most Japanese people aren’t interested in dating a foreigner.
If you do find someone, you might have issues with their parents.
The idea of marrying someone who’ll whisk their son or daughter away to a foreign land doesn’t always go down well with Japanese parents.
They’re expecting their children to look after them in later years.
Now, I’ve only ever dated two Japanese people and married one.
The first one, the dad wanted to punch me (coz I’m foreign innit).
The second one sat with his back to me at a restaurant.
Still, it all worked out okay in the end.
And after we married, he seemed to prefer me to his daughter, lol.
Turns out he was smart after all.
Now, a real bugbear of mine.
The Health Industry in General
Back in 2000, I got sick.
So I had a chance to use my national health insurance (This covers 70% of your costs)
But no matter what doctor I saw, they just threw some pills at me and told me I had a cold.
Then, on one visit, a doctor decided to give me a drip.
I passed out and ended up at a real hospital.
After many blood tests, it turned out I did not have a cold, and I ended up in hospital for 3 weeks.
The pills I had been taking were making me worse!
Still, I have some funny memories from my mate smuggling in a pizza to my girlfriend wheel-chairing me out of the ward.
We then drove to Sakae so I could use an Internet cafe (this was in 2000).
Afterwards, we came back, and I went back into the hospital bed.
In my experience, going to see a doctor in Japan for health issues, both physical and mental, can leave a lot to be desired.
The doctors here tend to want to deal with you very quickly.
They will ask you what’s wrong, they’ll throw some pills at you regardless, and they’ll send you on your way.
Many clinics seem to be downright dodgy.
Bad Experience Number 2
I once saw a doctor, as I had some white spots on my foot.
She pulled out a big dusty book and spent 5 minutes looking through it.
Then, I was told to lie face down while 2 nurses sat on me.
No, not like that (get your mind out of the gutter).
The doctor then injected me on the sole of my foot.
Blood came out, and I could have punched that fucker in the face. The pain was so bad.
Naturally, nothing happened.
I visited a doctor on a trip back to the UK, who fixed it in a few days (painlessly).
On the bright side, that doctor is now dead, and her clinic is closed.
So, why are they so bad?
- Many younger doctors get jobs as their parents were doctors, too
- There is no requirement to study once you have your license. So many doctors have never improved their knowledge
- It’s a business as opposed to them wanting to cure you. You’ll not need to return if they cure you, which means less money for them.
However, major Japanese hospitals are very well-run, clean and spotless.
The staff are fantastic, and the health service is good here.
Lack of Mental Health Support
Then there’s mental health, which is, unfortunately, a bit of a taboo subject.
If you have anxiety or depression and want to move to Japan, I can’t give you any expert advice.
That said if you have chronic mental health issues and you’re taking medication, moving far away from friends and family to a country where you can’t speak the language or easily see a specialist is, in all likelihood, going to make the situation worse.
So before taking that leap, weigh the pros and cons and speak to a professional doctor about it.
Never-ending Social Etiquette
There are 125 million people in Japan.
And yet, far from chaos, there is an impressive sense of order where everything has its place.
The whole of society is designed so you are not inconveniencing other people.
It’s a fantastic strategy but a very different environment than you are probably used to.
When I think of people who have visited me, everyone loved it.
But they felt overwhelmed by all the rules, having to be quiet on trains and not being allowed to do things.
And you have to be asking yourself constantly:
- Am I in someone’s way?
- Am I being too noisy?
- Am I lining up in the right place?
If you’re a pretty chilled, laid-back person, I do think it could lead to some unnecessary stress and anxiety.
Before You Go
Foreigners who want to experience life in Japan must understand how to obtain Japanese visas.
Whether it’s a tourist visa, student visa, working visa, or holiday visa, the nearest Japanese embassy can provide guidance.
This is especially relevant for those who have received a job offer in Japan.
Additionally, having a business card is a common practice in Japan.
It is useful for both social and professional interactions.
Japan offers lots of conveniences.
For example, vending machines and widespread acceptance of credit cards.
The Japanese citizen enjoys a lifestyle that balances tradition and modernity.
Life in Japan is good for those willing to adapt to a new country.
Japan has a unique position among Asian countries.
It continues to be a strong magnet for people seeking an adventure or a new beginning in one of the best places on earth.
Just be aware it is not the perfect place the media makes out.
